Enviro AES-TSA, AES-TS Owner's Manual

ENVIRO-SEPTIC SYSTEM GUIDE

Owner’s Guide

Enviro-Septic® System

AES-TS Model

Class II – Secondary treatment level

and

AES-TSA Model

Class III –Advanced secondary treatment level

Residential Application

Province of Quebec

System certified by: Bureau de normalisation du Quebec

Standard: NQ 3680-910

© DBO Expert inc.

All rights reserved

Version 2.2.3

July 8th 2013

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Important Security instructions

It is extremely dangerous even potentially deadly to open a septic tank,
pumping station or any enclosed space that is part of a wastewater treatment
system. This work must be done by a person trained in enclosed space
working and rescue procedures who has the necessary equipment.

The action of the bacteria on the organic matter present in the wastewater
produces gases such as carbon gas (CO2), methane gas (CH4) and sulphuric
hydrogen (H2S). The H2S present in the septic tank or a pumping station can
cause the death of an individual in a matter of minutes. This is why this work
must be left to competent personnel.

Pipes are buried near your septic installation. Please speak to your contractor
or the technical service of DBO Expert inc. in order to take the necessary
precautions before digging or undertaking excavation jobs near your septic
system.

Please be sure that the covers of the septic tank, pumping station, piezometers
and sampling device are always in place and that they remain accessible at all
times for periodic inspections and interventions when necessary. (e.g.
emptying of the septic tank). The same applies for distribution boxes of
systems built after 2009 as well as those which had an accessible distribution
box before that time.

Advanced Enviro-Septic® comes with a manufacturer’s limited warranty. The
warranty details are presented in Appendix A.

Advanced Enviro-Septic® U.S. Patent numbers. 6,461,078; 5,954,451; 6,290,429;

6,899,359; 6,792,977; 7,270,532 and 5,606,786. Other patent pending.

Enviro-Septic® is a trademark of Presby Environmental, Inc.

Advanced Enviro-Septic® is a trademark of Presby Environmental, Inc.

Bio-Accelerator® is a trademark of Presby Environmental, Inc.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 3

The purpose of this document 3
Designation of the Enviro-Septic System 3
Definition of the Enviro-Septic System 4
What to do if a problem occurs? 4
Customer service and Technical support information 4
System tag 5
Certified Contractor 5
Enviro-Septic System Capacity 6
Residential Wastewater 7
Warranty certificate 7

Functioning of the Enviro-Septic System 8

Treatment process of the Enviro-Septic system 8

Diagram of the Enviro-Septic chain of treatment 8
Enviro-Septic System Components 10
Operating the Enviro-Septic System 12

Initial Use 12

Intermittent Use or Prolonged Absences 12
Enviro-Septic System Operating Instructions 13

Wastewater Volume 13

In the bathroom 14

In the kitchen 14

For the laundry 14

Elsewhere in and around the house 15

Chemicals for septic installation 15

Ventilation 15

Heavy machinery and motorized vehicle traffic 16

Vegetation 16
Enviro-Septic System Maintenance 17

Distribution box and flow equalizer 17

Embankment surface above the Enviro-Septic System 20
Owner’s Responsibilities 21

Measuring the Water Levels in the Piezometers 22

What to do if water level is high 23
Appendix A- Presby Twenty Year Limited Warranty 24
Appendix B - Information Specific to Your Treatment System 25
Appendix C – Register of the height of water in the piezometers 26
Appendix D – Register of the Septic Tank Maintenance 27

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Introduction

Congratulations! You have chosen the Enviro-Septic System for your septic
installation. This system was developed to efficiently treat domestic
wastewater. However, instructions must be followed in order to maintain its
treatment performance so that you can make use of it for many years.

We ask that you carefully read through this document and keep it in your files
for future reference.

The purpose of
this document

This user guide explains the proper use, procedures and inspections required
in order to ensure the proper operation and longevity of an Enviro-Septic
System for residential wastewater treatment.

Please note that it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the system is
used properly and according to its treatment capacity. It is also his
responsibility to respect the rules and regulations in effect, especially the Law
of the quality of Environment and the Q-2, r.22 regulation1 on wastewater
treatment and evacuation.

Designation of
the Enviro­Septic System

Name: Enviro-Septic® System
Model: ESP-TSA and ESP-TS

Application Domain: Residential Wastewater (sewage).

Class and treatment type: The Enviro-Septic system meets all the

requirements of the NQ 3680-9102 standard for class III – advanced
secondary treatment systems or class II – secondary treatment systems in
Quebec.

The system cannot be used to treat wastewater to make it consumable. It is
made to treat residential wastewater to an acceptable level for it to be
reintroduced into the environment according to the criteria prescribed in the
Q-2, r.22.

1

The Q-2, r.22 regulation was previously known as the Q-2, r.8. It is available on the Quebec Government site of the
“Ministère du Développement durable de l’Environnement et des Parcs”, at the address: www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/eau/eaux-

usees or through the “Publication du Québec”

2

NQ 3680-910 standard, Wastewater treatment – Stand-Alone Wastewater Treatment Systems for isolated Dwellings,
Bureau de Normalisation du Québec, 2000-06-16

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Definition of
the Enviro­Septic System

The Enviro-Septic system is a passive technology that facilitates the growth
of bacteria responsible for wastewater treatment. It is composed primarily of
two inseparable components: the rows of Advanced Enviro-Septic pipe and a
layer of system sand.

The Enviro-Septic system must be preceded by a septic tank and a wastewater
distribution device. The treated water is drained directly into the soil beneath
the treatment system through a soil absorption system as described in the Q-2,
r.22 regulation: a leaching field for class II systems or a polishing leaching
field for class III systems. They can also be discharged directly to a river if
this type of discharge is allowed.

What to do if a
problem
occurs?

If in the course of normal use of your septic system you notice any of the
following problems:

• Presence of abnormal odours in the house, around the septic system or

emanating from sources of drinking water.

• Abnormally wet soil, presence of persistent puddles or odours in the

area of the septic tank or the Enviro-Septic system.

• Slow flushing toilets or other plumbing in the home.

• Presence of abnormally abundant vegetation on the surface or around

the septic tank or the Enviro-Septic system installation.

• Flooding in the area where the Enviro-Septic system is installed.

• Erosion of the land fill on or around the Enviro-Septic system.

• Alarm from the pumping station if such a device is part of your

installation.

If you notice one of these problems, immediately contact your contractor or
the customer service of DBO Expert Inc. 1-866-440-4975. Please have
available the information from Appendix B – Information Specific to Your
Treatment System – of the present guide.

Warning: Please note that the situations described above can affect any
septic system, whether it is an Enviro-Septic system, any other certified
wastewater treatment technology or any soil absorption systems prescribed in
the Q-2, r.22 regulation. When these problems occur, they are usually caused
by poor installation, malfunction of the residence plumbing, extreme weather
or geological factors or surface water flowing into the septic system.

Customer
service and
Technical
support
information

Please contact us if you need further information.

Telephone: [phone] or [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Internet site: www.enviro-septic.com

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System tag

Each Enviro-Septic system must be identified with a specific system tag. This
tag, similar to the one shown in figure 1, will be installed in the sampling
device access port. It will be added during the installation of the system. The
number shown at the bottom of the tag will help to identify your system.

The class of the system in place is indicated on the system tag.

Fig. 1

Certified
Contractor

The Enviro-Septic System must be installed by a contractor previously trained
by DBO Expert or one of its representatives to obtain a certificate of
authorised installer. The customer service of DBO Expert can provide the
name of contractors having the proper authorisation to install Enviro-Septic
Systems.

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Enviro-Septic
System
Capacity

The capacity of the Enviro-Septic System depends on two elements :

• The number of Advanced Enviro-Septic Pipes

• The capacity of the underlying soil to evacuate the treated water.

.

Tables 1 and 2 present the capacity of each system in relation with the
number of pipes installed for a 1 to 6 bedroom residence or other building
with a daily flow of 3240 L/d or less. The total volume of wastewater fed to
the system must not be more than what is shown in the table.

The system may also be limited by the capacity of the underlying soil to
permit the infiltration and evacuation of wastewater. This value should be
evaluated by the designer mandated to create the plans and estimates for your
septic installation. It is, therefore, important to verify with the designer if the
capacity of the soil permits complete infiltration and evacuation of the
maximum amount of water able to be treated by the pipes installed.

Table 1 –
Enviro-Septic
hydraulic
capacity based
on the number
of bedrooms of
an isolated
dwelling

Number of

bedrooms

Minimum Number of

Advanced Enviro-Septic®

Pipes

(3.05 m each)

Minimum Total

Length of Advanced

Enviro-Septic® Pipes

(m)

Maximum Hydraulic

Capacity (L/d)

3

1 8 24,4

540 2 12

36,6

1080 3 15

45,8

1260 4 18

54,9

1440 5 22

67,1

1800 6 26

79,3

2160

3

The hydraulic capacities shown in table 1 are the same shown in the Q-2, r.22 regulation for 1 to 6 bedroom isolated
dwellings (clause 1.3). The difference between the minimum number of Advanced Enviro-Septic pipe for a similar daily flow
between table 1 and 2 come after different security factors that are associated with 1 to 6 bedroom house vs other types of
buildings.

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Table 2 –
Enviro-Septic
hydraulic
capacity based
on the number
of pipes
installed for
another type of
building

Maximum Daily

Flow

(L/d)

Number of Advanced

Enviro-Septic® Pipes

(3.05 m each)

Total Length of

Advanced Enviro-

Septic® Pipes (m)

540 8 24,4

810

10

30,5

1080

12

36,6

1260

15

45,8

1440

18

54,9

1620

20

61,0

1800

22

67,1

1960

24

73,2

2160

26

79,3

2280

28

85,4

2440

30

91,5

2600

32

97,6

2760

34

103,7

2920

36

109,8

3080

38

115,9

3240

40

122,0

Residential
Wastewater

Table 3 indicates the normal characteristics of raw domestic sewage.

Table 3

Parameter

Units

Raw Sewage

Septic Tank

Effluent

TSS

mg/L

237-600

50-90

CBOD5

mg/L

210-530

140-200

Fecal Coliform

CFU/100 ml

106-1010

103-106

Source: Tchobanoglous and Burton (1991)

Warranty
certificate

Advanced Enviro-Septic® comes with a manufacturer’s limited warranty. The
warranty details are presented in Appendix A.

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Functioning of the Enviro-Septic System

Treatment
process of the
Enviro-Septic
system

The rows of Advanced Enviro-Septic® pipes and system sand permit the
treatment and distribution of wastewater on the surface of the receiving soil
(surface of the polishing leaching field or the leaching bed).

The pipes support, first of all, the separation of particles through flotation and
decantation. The water is then evacuated through perforations situated all
around the pipes and through the pores of the three layers of synthetic media
covering the pipes. These membranes facilitate the fixation of the microbial
cultures which support wastewater treatment as well as longitudinal
distribution.

The layer of sand continues the treatment process and helps in dispersing the
water before it infiltrates into the natural soil. In this way, the Enviro-Septic
system integrates both functions of treatment and evacuation.

Diagram of the
Enviro-Septic
chain of
treatment

The chain of treatment varies according to the method of discharge used.
Figures 2.1 to 3.2 show the different options possible.

Underground evacuation
Figures 2.1 and 2.2 show the progress of the water along the complete chain

of treatment for a system using underground evacuation

Fig. 2.1 - Secondary Treatment System

Distribution

device

Enviro-Septic Secondary

Level Treatment System

Distribution

Device

Infiltration in the ground

Raw

Sewage

Septic Tank

Soil Absorption Field,

Seepage Bed or Above

Ground Sand Filter

Fig. 2.2 - Advanced Secondary Treatment System

Distribution

device

Enviro-Septic Secondary Advanced

Level Treatment System

Distribution

Device

Infiltration in the ground

Raw

Sewage

Septic Tank

Polishing Leaching Field